There was some late-innings chaos last night, but it turns out it could have been much crazier. I was wondering what the Giants would do if Brandon Crawford or Emmanuel Burriss had needed to come out of last night’s game, and today we got our answer.

And it’s an awesome one: Aubrey Huff.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Huff was preparing to go in the game as an infielder if they had needed one. At the start of the game, Huff was on the bench with Brandon Belt, Gregor Blanco and Nate Schierholtz. Eventually it was just Huff, and he did end up coming in as a left fielder for an inning.

But if they had needed a middle infielder…well, then it gets complicated. Bochy confirmed my thought from last night that Pablo Sandoval would have been moved to shortstop or second base if that was needed. Huff could have played first, second or third (where he started his career with Tampa Bay).
Alas, none of that happened. I just thought it was interesting…and man, it would have been fun to write about.

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— All of this came about because Ryan Theriot wasn’t here, and it turns out Theriot was much sicker than we originally thought. Doctors wouldn’t let him get on Thursday’s flight and he actually didn’t get on a plane to New York until this morning. So again, the Giants are without their main backup infielder for today’s game.

Meaning Brett Pill took grounders at second base today — just in case. If he did get in for some reason, I doubt he’d even be tested. It seems that wherever they put Pill (the outfield and third base in spring training, left field yesterday) he never gets any balls coming his way. Yesterday there were only a couple of balls near him and they ended up in the stands.

— Bochy on his feelings after last night’s game: “I guess relief, when you win the game. There’s a lot going on and you don’t have time to really think about it. You have to be somewhat prepared on what you’re going to do.”

— I only had so much room in my Tim Lincecum story the other day, so some stuff ended up on the cutting room floor. The most interesting cut, I thought, was that Lincecum blames much of his mental struggles on a poor spring. He gave up 31 hits in 21 2/3 innings and said that stuck with him.

I asked him about his confidence level after a spring like that. “I was kind of hoping (I would be OK) instead of knowing,” he said.

You wouldn’t think a two-time Cy Young Award winner would worry so much about his spring, but Bochy said he wasn’t surprised.

“I don’t care how much time you have in this game, you want success,” he said. “Even veterans can slump because they lose confidence.”

On a positive note, Lincecum said his swagger is coming back and he doesn’t think the mental part of the game will be a problem anymore. He said it’s just one of the tools a pitcher uses.

“Just because you put in all that work to get to where you are now, that doesn’t mean that tool is going to work like it did in the past,” he said, “But I’m close.”

— I thought Shane Victorino was very enlightening when talking about Lincecum. He was also asked about the division, and said he thought the Giants had as good a shot as anybody to take the N.L. West. But he added a caveat:

“Obviously losing Brian (Wilson), I think, is big for them. That’s a guy that’s one of the best closers in the game. It’s definitely going to change a little bit. But Romo has been successful, who is to say he can’t go out there and do it. Any time you lose a guy like that it’s going to take a toll a little bit. You’re going to feel the effects no matter what. You hope for a speedy recovery.”

He was right about one thing — the Giants did feel the effects. Right away.

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— Last night was a good one for Bochy in more ways than one. Brett Bochy earned his first Double-A win in Richmond’s victory, throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. He also picked up his first professional base hit and RBI.

“He hasn’t hit since high school,” Bruce Bochy said of his son, beaming. “On one swing he fell down. He hit it off the end of the bat.”

Bruce often has long postgame talks with Brian Sabean. They had one last night. Given Brett’s performance (8 2/3 scoreless relief innings this season; 1.38 ERA last season) it’s not hard to imagine a strange scenario, maybe a year or two from now, where Bochy and Sabean are discussing adding a second Bochy to the big league clubhouse.

Alex Pavlovic

Post navigation

Brett Bochy has about three relievers significantly higher than him on the depth chart, but being at Richmond and doing well there so far, he may not be all that far away from The Show.

PuffDaddy

Huff the second baseman? Is it April Fools?

El Lobo

As much as I dislike the Phillies, I’ve grown to respect Victorino and Manuel for their comments on Timmy and Wilson. Respect for Cliff Lee was also regained on Wednesday. That guy deserved to get a W.

totalfan62

Looking for a strong game from Vogey today. He had a good game first time out vs. Pirates, and a win here would be good for him and for our Giants.

Three out of four in NY would be a good series and give us momentum as we move into Cincinnati.

GO GIANTS!!

SurfCity

Thanks for the extra info, Alex. Deciding what to cut can be hard when you have lots of good material.

Go Giants!

http://thewisdomcow.blogspot.com/ The Wisdom Cow

If you take population and transportation into account, the Mets’ attendance has got to be worse than even the last few years of the Florida Marlins.

—————————

On Crawford, take a look at his comprehensive fielding numbers before thinking the early errors hurt him so much defensively compared to the rest of the league. He gets to so many balls that others don’t reach that the errors really have not been a huge factor (it also doesn’t hurt to remember players like Omar Vizquel don’t come around very often). You really can’t legitimately hope to have better defense at SS than Crawford, IMO. He’s also had several clutch ABs, too, which is much more valuable than an empty batting average.

With the loss of Wilson creating some instability in the pen, it’s all the more reason to play your best defensive SS.

http://www.fangraphs.com/ channelclemente

El Lobo,

couldn’t agree more. It’s quite a rivalry developing.

The Truth

Huff’s at bat will continue to send shivers up the spines of opposing pitchers. They will continue to pitch around Posey with that kind of weak at bat.

walt kovacs

sabean is gonna trade melonhead jr for a bat

Sansui-Sans Haiku Corner

Wishin’ and Hopin’ ??
That is the stuff of humans
FREAKS are NOT human!!

bradley emden

Where has Crawford’s offense gone. The first week he looked much improved. Now with multiple RBI opportunities, he has failed to do anything. Maybe today will be a breakout day for him.

bradley emden

The umps sure know how to expand the strike zone vs. Crawford.

Stan

He’s getting his swagger?..the same old crap like long toss talk is returning. He’s lost 30 pounds since late winter. THAT’S a lot of not eating. He’s lost by his own total 13-14 pounds since the start of the year. And the media says nothing..just post his weight loss with no insight.

At least for once something positive is at work..Vogy’s attitude could have sparked Zito. If Vogy can change in his 30′s…

SurfCity

I didn’t like it much at all last year when Lincecum said he was putting on weight by eating lots of In-And-Out burgers.

ClutchUp

El Lobo says: April 21st, 2012 at 10:09 am As much as I dislike the Phillies, I’ve grown to respect Victorino and Manuel for their comments on Timmy and Wilson. Respect for Cliff Lee was also regained on Wednesday. That guy deserved to get a W.

Lobo: Lee might have deserved a W but so glad WE won. Regarding Manuel’s funny comments about picking Timmeh up and carrying him over to their dugout – without the haha comments – is that considered tampering

stickman

Chipping away.

ClutchUp

All: The difference with some young hitters (Crawford) or other young hitters who have NOT even played one FULL season (Posey) is whether or not either, both are hitting the ball hard somewhere. It does not matter if it falls in or his caught.

3 out of 10 can be HOF numbers and 1 or 2 out of ten becomes journeyman-MiLB type players.

BleedBlack&Orange

We need a big performance from Vogey today. Unfortunately I cant say that I trust lincecum to go deep in the game and our bullpen is going to need a rest. We can’t have three games in a row where we look to our bullpen early.

ClutchUp

Sometimes most and/or all Sports Talk Radio Callers can actually sound normal – until – they extend their premise that Romo is “their guy” to be given the rest of the year Closers Job. That has also been posted here on E_Giants.

One wonders what game (movie) these afficienados are watching. Romo’s physical stature (height and weight) as well as his pitching repertoire is not conducive to being a closer per sey.

Evan

But he has a beard! Thats what makes a closer right?

The Truth

Huff, two ab’s, two weak popups, not even out of the infield. good thing, he is due for a hit any at bat now. two out of ten – he is due.

stickman

Two weak AB’s by Huff n Puff. Seems he can’t hit with nobody on base either. Will Bochy be up there holding his hand on his next P.A.?

Stan

The Met’s have one boring team.

Lefty

Bleed: They could end up playing a DH Monday depending on weather…all the more reason to spare the bullpen today.

Alex Pavlovic

@Stan — Huh? He’s back to his old weight….you know, the weight he was at when he won two Cy Youngs. He tried to gain weight last year and hated how it felt. So he took it off.

ClutchUp

Channel:

I saw Vogey throw last Sunday at Willie Mays Field …. he looks sharper today IMO.

ClutchUp

Alex Pavlovic says: April 21st, 2012 at 11:12 am @Stan — Huh? He’s back to his old weight….you know, the weight he was at when he won two Cy Youngs. He tried to gain weight last year and hated how it felt. So he took it off.

Ought Oh, now we’ve done it…. Stan might talk about some Caucasian Conspiracy now … or … might this be a “different” Stan

Joe Panik is pretty polished … but … sooner or later the Giants advanced scouting bureau will be following ALL right handed hitting infielders…

ClutchUp

Players with athletic times from home to first or first to second have the Green Light. They don’t get a steal sign – there is only a Don’t Go Sign.

Some base runners do not go when their teammates are left handed and thus it keeps the so called “3.5 hole” wide open to shoot a ground ball through the hole…..

Baseball 101

Casados

I’m sure glad Bochy didn’t give up on Pagan as fast as most of you had, the kid is raking right now.

stickman

Crawford keeps hitting those at-em balls (so did Melky) and the stats doomers will predictably go ballistic. Vogie’s been dealing (excepting for the Murphy bed). Pelfrey has generally thrown first-pitch strikes and had a bit of luck that inning with those line-outs to the SS.

Lefty

Despite the postseason success, Timmy was spooked by what had happened in August that year. Thus the experiment with weight gain. It’s worth noting that he still pitched pretty darn well in 2011.

But bulking up via junk food is not a good idea for anyone, especially a professional weight loss. From what I read, he took it off by eating salads and swearing off Mickey D’s. (No In-N-Outs in Seattle.) It’s not like he has an eating disorder.

No,he was in his 170′s those years,and in 2010 ~180..and THAT Alex was after dieting down to 150 in early 2010 when all that long toss,dead arm malarkey went around. At 150 he had NO stamina..remember the”when its 80f he couldnt go past five innings” period?
And I know I read that Linceum in late spring training had said he was 177 after being 197 in the off season…so,again,for him to say he’s now in the mid 160′s is a very fast weight loss. And in newest pics his face is again getting that sunken look in the cheeks and eye areas.
From the timetables he put out there…he’s eating very little… and THAT Alex, is where Tim’s fastball went.

bradley emden

giants just turned a DP except the ump called Tejada safe at first. Replay
shows he was out. Anyway, except for the extra pitches, and credit for
the RBI, and one more batter moved up the lineup, no more runs scored.
After five innings score is 1-1. Time for the giants bats to come alive.

ClutchUp

MLB Umpires are SO comfortable in what they do …. When Alderson was in charge … there was some accountability …. and fitness for duty both physically and Mentally HaHa…

another quality start for vogie…who will still beat himself up in the post game

dang…doesnt matter what lineup the giants send against pelfrey…that guy pretty much owns the giants

Pacman 68

Belt would have had that shot right by Huff. He’s left handed and easier grab.

10dollabeerz

Huff strikes again!

bradley emden

I loved watching Huff in 2010, but now he is costing us at bat and in the field. Its time
to play Brandon Belt. Enough already with Huff.

ClutchUp

Pablo Sandoval has a Yogi Berra – Manny Sanguillen strike zone.

There isn’t one – but – thank god Pablo belongs to “us”…

bradley emden says: April 21st, 2012 at 11:38 am giants just turned a DP except the ump called Tejada safe at first. Replay shows he was out.

BE: The actual rule is weird. Ed Montague explained to us all that the throw must actually beat the runner to first base. I’m not saying it did not but I’m saying the phrase tie goes to the runner is not written anywhere but it does say THAT the other way: The defensive throw must get there before the runner touches the base…

Rusty

Huff in 2011 form. How much more do we have to endure?

The Truth

Huff is still due. Keep him in. Sooner or later he will get that weak single over the infielders head.

ClutchUp

Huff’s every other year concept seems to be flawed currently…

walt kovacs

anyone surprised that huff hit into a dp on the first pitch?

bueller…..bueller….bueller

like frikin clockwork

livefree

Is HUff the dumbest guy in baseball? How can a guy keep hitting low outside pitches to second base? Pitchers are begging him to go to left, and he outright refuses.

It hardly matters since he’s finished anyway …. no one seems to acknowledge, but he’s been awful since August of 2010, not just last year. OPS UNDER .700 since then. He needs to sit. They should have traded him for a pitcher in spring when he looked better.

Alex Pavlovic

@Stan — I talked to him Wednesday. He’s in the 170′s. I’ve seen the guy eat, I’ve seen him almost every day for two months. Weight is not an issue at all.

stickman

THAT IS IT! Pine time for ol’ Huff n’ Puff. Upper management hasta get the lesson driven into their head one way or the other. Mets had just tied the game. Three, four, five hitters up. Sandoval can’t come through. Posey singles with one out. Playing the Enforcer role Huff promptly rolls over into an inning-killing D.P. which may have been the turning point in the ballgame.

Evan

Huff is going to have a lower BA than Crawford soon with none of the RBIs

ClutchUp

Pacman 68 says: April 21st, 2012 at 11:41 am Belt would have had that shot right by Huff. He’s left handed and easier grab.

=Al oha would concur. I’m going to have to ask Channel or Anti what Giants teams of years gone past had Lefties vs. Righty firstbaseman – during their successes and failures.

Of course Aubrey was @ 1B in the year that was 2010

livefree

On the other hand, Vogie is great fun to watch when he’s mixing with accuracy like this. Wow

ClutchUp

Alex 2
Stan 1

walt kovacs

vogie’s curve is just nasty today

http://thewisdomcow.blogspot.com/ The Wisdom Cow

Metaphor in place
It’s time to take of the leash
And put the dog down

Stan

Well,he’s been near a rail-like in 2010 with sunken eyeballs..and only Urban made mention of how thin he was. So, I think seeing him everyday-you don’t notice a ten pound swing or more.
There is a correlation between his “diets”..and his loss of fastballs, “cant get past the fifth”..and “cant pitch in over 80~”..and when he puts on weight-voila! those problems go away.
You remember his missing the all star game from dehydration?..YOU ever forget to drink water for a couple of three days before the biggest event in your life?

ClutchUp

Stan 2 Alex 2

Stan

Also-you say he’s 170′s but BASG blog quotes him as saying he’s down to the mid 160′s. I’m not making up quotes.

stickman

Bochy bats Vogie at 95 pitches in, runner on second and two outs ~ likely in order to save on his BP. We’ll see how that works out in the bottom of the 7th. Sure didn’t work to get in that lead run in the top half.

walt kovacs

i think craw needs a day

i think ike davis needs to go back and get that nose fixed again

i think that vogie is way too intense…its scary

SurfCity

You know guys, I actually think that Huff is expanding his game. He’s going from being bad for a year to being bad for 2 years. Maybe now is is the time to lock him up for 2013. Just hope he doesn’t expand his game further

Evan

Way to go Bochy

Stan

One last Alex. When Tim gave that quote/interview where he said that when he loses weight it “takes time for his body to remember when it had more muscle” Ok,not an exact quote but close. THAT’S gobbledygook. Make no sense and sounds like somebody with an issue making excuses.

I’ll bag on Craw and no thank you on your suggestion.
Crawford cannot hit! You cannot, cannot, no way, no how, hit .204 last year and follow that 300 AB stinkbomb up with .173 in ~ 60 ABs this year and pretend you are good as a Major League starting Shortstop. Ozzie Smith hit .240 or .250 just about every year, drew BBs, stole some bases and playeda role in his Cardinals’ teams scoring runs. Crawford offense has been offensive.

So Walt, I have been and will continue to bag on your man Crawford until he hits. I sure hope Sabean is investigating plan B at SS. Small sample size of ABs, but so far, he can’t hit and makes too many errors.

ClutchUp

Win Some Lose Some (Unless your Texas)

Other Team Has Professionals Also.

Boo ClutchUp
He is a Homer.
Works for Larry Baer.
Can’t See the Forrest for the Trees.
In Denial. Supports Huff, Crawford and all things Giants.

Yep

totalfan62

Come on top of the order! Vogey deserves a W here. This top of the order is best in NL right now.

Three runs, please!

GO GIANTS!!

Woj

I don’t understand. Bochy lets the gassed pitcher hit for himself! in the top of the 7th with a RISP, Vogie makes a predictable out. Then he trots him out there for the 7th and gives up the 2 likely game losing runs. WTF! Am I missing something common sense here why Melonhead would do this?

stickman

This one’s on Bochy. Not usually the “I told you so” type, but in #60 i did see this one coming. At better than 90 pitches Vogie had to be close to running on fumes this early in his season. My suspicion is that most managers would have pinch-hit for him with that runner in scoring position and two outs. Otero could have come in for the 7th in a rested state and just maybe to preserve Vogelsong’s lead.

ClutchUp

Orlando Cabrera is available
Miggy is still not an Oakland A
Omar at 45+ is still hanging…
Tito Fuentes does SF Spanish 860 AM ESPN Deportes broadcast and his knocking the cover off the ball in his softball team…
Put Brett Pill at SS
Move Pablo to SS
Move Nate to SS – oh no wait – he sucks also…

Geesh – Get off the ledges – and invest in plastic forks and knives

Lefty

SurfCity: You forget: They already have a team option on Huff for 2013…$10 million, I believe. $2 million buyout.

totalfan62

Woj:

Book that thought on BCraw and let’s revisit appx June 1. I think we’ll see a guy hitting .200-.220, and drawing league-wide praise for his defensive play.

Ask our pitchers if they’re satisfied w/that, and I bet it’s 100%.

livefree

This team has better hitters than last year, clearly … but the problem remains, they play the game the same way. They don’t run when they’re behind, when they’re ahead or when they’re tied. They make no effort to score runs other than by hacking.

It will be better than last year, yes … but good enough? Not likely. They just aren’t as good as they think they are. A little humility would create a more opportunistic attitude.

ClutchUp

You can’t “put this” on anybody at under 20 games in the season. The Skipper gets paid to build, tweak. It breeds wins or losses. There are no ties.

Bochy didnt JUST hit for Pagan – Cabrera and Sandoval right there. These are grown a$$ professional hitters who brought zero paitence into their respective at bats.

Guess venting here is better than kicking your dog though

10dollabeerz

It’s hard to even be surprised anymore by Bochy’s poor managing. He needs to be fired this season…maybe it will happen if Sabean wants to save his job. Doesn’t really seem like he does though…

walt kovacs

hey woj

you started following the game during the roids era…didnt ya?

man…i feel bad for vogie…he had to eat innings cuz of last nite…but hes gassed

ClutchUp

Some Crawford haters wanted that to be scored an error….

Lefty

I miss Hector already. He would have been a nice pinch-hitter for Vogey in the 7th…just sayin’. We might be up 2-1 or 3-1 instead of down 3-1. Vogey was already up to 95 pitches. I don’t get it.

Rusty

Huff strikes again!

10dollabeerz

Umm…why is Huff even in this game still?

SurfCity

“And Huff makes a leaping dive, but comes up short”

ClutchUp

Maybe its better that Aubrey is excellerating the decision

Woj

@totalfan62 -

Fine by me give Craw until June 1st as the starter. But .200 is not acceptable unless he hits for high power which Craw does not. The Giants should set the bar at .250 and leave it there. Craw hits that mark and draws some BBs and he cuts down on the # of errors, fine. If he continues the high rate of errors and/or the abysmal BA and we need a new SS on June 2nd. I don’t fall in love with a guy’s potential or his Stamos like looks, if he’s in the Show he needs to produce to stay or we find plan B.

SFGiantsTommy

Great contribution thus far by Huff. An o-fer and inning extending error.

Lefty

Baggs just Tweeted that Huff should have called in sick like Theriot.

Arkeen

Huff is embarrassing himself, going to go the path of Rowand this season.

walt kovacs

im done with huff

i dont like belt, but now there is no reason at all not to play him

stickman

Today Sabean and his bosses are receiving an object lesson in the synergism of their pair of yoked oxen: Huff and Bochy. Huff has transmogrified into the perfect eff-up. Bochy backs him all the way and then does his own dump.

10dollabeerz

This will be a real test for Bochy—if he’s really serious about Huff being on a short leash this year, then today is the perfect day to draw the line. Will it be the end for Huff? No; we all know it won’t be. He will continue to play as long as Bochy is managing this team.

bradley emden

giants defense disappeared in the 8th inning until the they started running wild. Huff has cost us probably 3 runs on defense.

bradley emden

the loss if it occurs should not go to vogelsong it should go to Huff.

10dollabeerz

Any chance Bochy pinch-hits for Huff in the 9th?

stickman

CU: Enough of the apologism. You sound like a certain grouch on the Flap. Damned tootin i can put this one on Bochy. I’m ready for Decker. Right Now!

http://jstevensonstories.blogspot.com The Mighty Roman

It is hard for me to classify Huff as a superb ballplayer right now.

Stan

Is THAT what happened stickman? I went to take a shower leading 1-0,comeback, and I’m behind 3-1!..Terrible move by Bochy not to pinch hit.

http://jstevensonstories.blogspot.com The Mighty Roman

Has Buster registered that weapon?!!

Woj

Stop with the insults Walt. I’ve been a Giants fan since I was 8 years old numnuts. My allegiance for the team is about 30+ years and counting. You got a serious mancrush on Crawford. Is it his looks that makes you ignore his .99 career average? ignore the 4 or 5 errors so far this season?

Stop it with the insults.

10dollabeerz

The worst-case scenario is Huff hitting a HR here. Then Bochy will feel justified.

walt kovacs

kills me that vogie is gonna beat himself up after the game…the number 5 guy is not supposed to be throwing a shutout

I gave Bochy time to see if Huff could work out. He shows no sign at all of coming close to his 2010 numbers. End it.

He was a good cheer leader. Put him on the bench, let him mentor and PH. We’ll think more fondly of his 2010 contribution, then the ugliness of 2011 to the present.

Will Bochy keep his word? Or did Huff have a good swing going / needs to get back on the horse / will work through this?

SFGiantsTommy

Solid contact once again by Huff. Thanks for suiting up today.

SurfCity

Great at bat by Huff. Any time he only gets one out instead of 2, is a cause for celebration

Woj

and I agree Huff sucks. Get in Belt and Pill. This is getting ridiculous.
Is Huff going to hit 3 HRs against StL in 1 game again and lock down the starting 1B job for another 4 months?

10dollabeerz

Unless that was Huff’s final at bat as a Giant, then Bochy is officially the worst manager in baseball—even worst than Guillen and Valentine. At least those guys demand performance from all their players.

Rusty

At least Huff had the presence of mind to weakly roll it over so as to avoid the dp.

The Truth

i have been inside clubhouses. sportswriters in general don’t ask the tough questions for fear of losing access. but if the question is begged today, why the hell is huff in there. this loss is on huff. three fielding plays that Belt would have had. a waste at the bat. come on guys, ask the tough questions.

livefree

Pelfrey is just a puke, and the Giants did nothing.

But don’t look for them to do anything but hack. Bochy doesn’t believe in it. It doesnt matter how much speed the Giants have, he wont use it … we’ve learned that much by now.

They’re better hackers, but they’re still hackers, and it wont be good enough unless they start to make something happen.

al oha

“Of course Aubrey was @ 1B in the year that was 2010″.

Don’t forget, Bochy used Travis Ishikawa alot as a Defensive replacement in late innings that season.

The Truth

Buriss? Come on Bochy. You have one out, two on, Belt and Pill that can both drive it out and tie it…what the hell are you thinking

walt kovacs

really woj?

roid era started in the 90s

see, ive been a fan since the 60s…and i dont care if a ss can hit

thats why ss bats in the 8th spot

i want good d

and i froze my ass off a the stick…therefore you must respect my opinion and stfu

SurfCity

I don’t really mean to bag on Huff. In the end, he’s just getting his number called and trying to play when he does.

It’s Bochy and anyone above him if they’re demanding Huff be played, where the blame falls.

All this time we could have been breaking in a youngster at first

deceptively athletic perfect for the system

Burriss is playing well. Definitely take him at 270-280

10dollabeerz

Bochy, with Huff having such a bad game, doesn’t want Belt to gain any confidence from it: he sends him to the on-deck circle, then swiftly pulls him back.

ClutchUp

First pitch swinging Sanchie?

http://thewisdomcow.blogspot.com/ The Wisdom Cow

I’m usually really happy a closer for the opposition gets pulled. I could have gone for a few more hitters facing Frank.

Wineguy

Huff has had enough rope. Belt/Pill platoon NOW.

Not pinch hitting for Vogey looks like the dumbest call Bochy has made this year.

ClutchUp

The Truth says: April 21st, 2012 at 12:36 pm Buriss? Come on Bochy. You have one out, two on, Belt and Pill that can both drive it out and tie it…what the hell are you thinking

=Guess he was thinking base hit up the middle

SurfCity

Bochy is doing Huff a disservice at this point.

http://thewisdomcow.blogspot.com/ The Wisdom Cow

Pill will homer on the second pitch he sees. One to measure. One to rake.

Rusty

Belt with a chance to make his case…

ClutchUp

Go Giants!

SurfCity

Giants won 2 in a row when Huff didn’t start

ClutchUp

WOW
WOW
WOW
WOW

27 Outs people

Wineguy

You’ve got to be freakin kidding me!

Stan

LOL,LOL!!!

SurfCity

Aubrey would kill for that kind of lucky break

ClutchUp

That Ball was Scalded!

The Truth

Two words. Brandon Belt. Two more words. Aubrey Huff. Nuff said.

http://thewisdomcow.blogspot.com/ The Wisdom Cow

REVENGE!

Revenge for the dropped pop up loss game in the 80s I brought up last night! YES!

10dollabeerz

See….Belt makes things happen

Wineguy

I’m certain, there is a huge black cloud of profanity hanging over Queens right now.

Stan

I score it a double,wink,wink…

Stu Miller’s Gust

Too funny! Terry Collins blew this save by taking out Byrdak. That guy was unhittable for righties and lefties.

ClutchUp

DFA Pagan now because of that particular strikeout…

bradley emden

vogey off the hook but too bad we could not take the lead, because
the defense will be severely lacking with theriot not available and
crawford out of the game.
OYE!

walt kovacs

i dont believe it

Stu Miller’s Gust

Talk about foreshadowing, now we get to see Huff playing third.

http://thewisdomcow.blogspot.com/ The Wisdom Cow

Surf, Aubrey got that gift double in the first series of the year, which gave him the BA edge justifying Belt’s four game benching.

ClutchUp

The Wisdom Cow says: April 21st, 2012 at 12:48 pm REVENGE!Revenge for the dropped pop up loss game in the 80s I brought up last night! YES!

Wisdom: I missed your post? Which dropped P/U of the 80′s?

SurfCity

Back to the well of Hensley

bobguy

dont tell me this foreshadowed that huff gunna play second

Rusty

Oh god, Huff at second.

http://thewisdomcow.blogspot.com/ The Wisdom Cow

I might have lost the game, not getting Belts double, but I would have kept Pill in against Rausch.

Flemming and Miller had to change their dinner reservations I am told.

ClutchUp

Pablo to SS. Burris to 2nd. Nate to 3B. Huff to RF/LF ?

Kidding?

ClutchUp

Huffy might bare hand the feed to second base…

ClutchUp

Affeldt scares me. % of two back-to-back good outings ?

ClutchUp

Fudge!

SFGiantsTommy

Did that really just happen? I am stunned.

10dollabeerz

Huff is just doing everything he can to make the Giants lose.

Wineguy

Oh that silly Huff!

ClutchUp

Karma… Playing guys out of of position. Wichita State Shockers use to get one out at home on that play – fake to first and throw back to third base.

Stan

Posey..just panicky as a catcher.

http://thewisdomcow.blogspot.com/ The Wisdom Cow

Wow. Such bad baseball.

Of course, Bochy can’t bench Huff now. He’s such a team player moving to 2B.

walt kovacs

most bizarre final inning i have ever seen in my life

totalfan62

Could somebody please post a little play by play? My internet’s gone weird–the only open link that’s refreshing is this one!

Thx in advance.

CalBear

ok….why not Pill at 2B?

what did Boch expect out of Huff?

bradley emden

krukow says it was a legal play at home, but it was a force out the runner was already out and then he hooked a slide into Posey. I have seen that play called interference several times, when the out is a force. Not if there is no force, but he was already out and then hooked posey’s leg. Between Huff, and the giants not getting any calls especially with runners out at first it cost the giants the game. Too bad Huff played today. He needs to get his head on straight and play well, or get off the stick

Wineguy

Ah well, we’ll get ‘em tomorrow. That was one of the most bizarre games in a while, with a ton of slop played by both teams.

SFGiantsTommy

Totalfan…you don’t want a play by play of the bottom of the ninth. You may vomit.

bradley emden

pill was out of the game he pinch hit, and was taken out for belt.

Lefty

CalBear: Belt pinch-hit for Pill in the top of the 9th. He was out of the game.

walt kovacs

who was the mutt who tried to injure posey on that final play?

http://thewisdomcow.blogspot.com/ The Wisdom Cow

Bochy burned Pill, so it can’t exactly be said it was not Bochy’s fault for Huff being at 2B, Krukow.

bradley emden

I fine Huff 1 million dollars for that game, It would have been 2 million but I subtract a million for his willingness to look like he was playing second base.

Sf Fan

Huff is a bum!

Time for him to go.

deceptively athletic perfect for the system

we need to hit that guy tomorrow for some payback. That was some bs

bradley emden

might have been better to put huff at third and pablo at second

bradley emden

I would trade huff for a bag of peanuts, but I’m allergic to peanuts. What the heck, I will take them for Huff.

SurfCity

Sloppy game.

Giants were 2-0 when Huff didn’t start.

SFGiantsTommy

Bochy playing Huff at 2nd. Vintage.

Rusty

Bad baseball indeed. All the weirdness aside we shouldn’t be making marginally good pitchers look like Cy Young. Too many shades of 2011 with this offense right now.

ClutchUp

Stan says: April 21st, 2012 at 1:09 pm Posey..just panicky as a catcher.

Stan how so please explain. This is the same catcher who picked off a runner and threw out a runner in the same inning earlier.

Did you see Hairston “do his job” during his slide?

Stan

Huff playing second. NOT what you want on your coaching resume.

Stan

182..and Posey wasted microseconds moving off home to avoid..a collision. You could even argue that the contact that still happened would be incidental for Sanchez.it for Posey,instead got into his head.

ClutchUp

As at second base in MLB ball the runner “only” has to be able to reach way back and ‘touch’ second base.

Hairston’s hand touched home plate during his take out slide.

S happens.

Pacman 68

Wow, that was one of the worse innings i think I have ever seen. I’m speechless with how bad Huff has played.

Foothills Ryan

Where I once thought it was feasible to give Huff 100 PAs to “get him going/evaluate what’s left”, I now can safely say they only need 50 to determine that he is cooked. He’s pretty much there.

I am trusting that the process is flexible and can make the proper decision.

I think Orlando Hudson would have more value to the Giants than Aubrey Huff. That’s pretty much where this is heading. All you Huff haters out there, you were probably right all along- he was cooked a long time ago.

al oha

Sabean needs to TRADE AUBREY HUFF ASAP. Addition by Subtraction.

Either Huff has incriminating photos of Bochy in compromising positions or Aubrey is Bochy’s crack pipe, he can’t put him away.

Sabean needs to step in and save Bochy from himself. An intervention of sorts.

ClutchUp

Stan says: April 21st, 2012 at 1:18 pm 182..and Posey wasted microseconds moving off home to avoid..a collision. You could even argue that the contact that still happened would be incidental for Sanchez.it for Posey,instead got into his head.

=Stan: Maybe Posey was remembering the play last week where he came off the plate too soon!?!

But perhaps its a Caucasian Catcher vs. Latin Catcher Gizmo?

Lefty

Totalfan:

Duda singled off Hensley. Hairston pinch-ran for him. He was bunted to second. Next guy walked. Affeldt replaced Hensley. Affeldt gets a DP ground ball to SS, but Huff didn’t cover second, so Burriss threw to first, runner called safe on a close play. Bases loaded. Ground ball to first, Belt gets force at home, but Hairston takes out Posey with a slide, and his throw back to Belt went into right field. Game over.

Huff’s line: 0-4 with two pop-ups, a double play, and a grounder. An error at 1B, a missed liner at first for a double that led to a run, and a missed coverage at 2B that led to the loss. Plus his young rival got a gift pinch-hit pop-up double for 2 RBI that tied the game.

I’m actually feeling sorry for him.

The Oracle

On the positive side, if there were ever going to be a final straw for Huff, it would be this game. We’ll see what happens, but not even Bochy can justify it anymore. The pitching is still excellent and the offense is much improved. They will be fine over the long haul. If this game is what it takes to send Huff to the bench, then it was worth it.

ClutchUp

Would you NOW rather that Belt’s Pop Up double have been caught like it should have been or the game to have ended like it did….

In other words, there is a game tomorrow. That’s the beauty of the professional game.

Unless Mother Nature does what the report says it will…

Angry Dan

You all know where I stand on Huff, but you can’t blame him for what went on in the bottom of the 9th. If you’re going to put Huff out at 2nd base, then you have to tell your other infielders to not even bother throwing to 2nd base when Huff has to cover the bag. I don’t know if the coaches told the infielders this beforehand or not, but obviously they didn’t pound this fact into their heads enough. Burriss should have either gone to 3rd with the throw or gone immediately to 1st.

The Truth

You can’t trade Huff. No one wants him. Just like they did not want Rowan. You will either have to cut him altogether and eat his salary, or find someone desperate and eat a majority of his salary. You could have easily put Posey at 2nd or SS with Sanchez staying at C. Would have been better than having Huff out there. I’m outta here till tomorrow. I’m waiting to see if the Merc sportswriters ask the tough questions today or if its the same questions, what do you think….

Stan

Clutch..you make my point. Posey is thinking too much of avoiding home plate tags. Not good for a mlb catcher huh?
He’s never been very good defensively. Before his injury he allowed far too many passed balls..making backhanded stabs instead of jumping to his right.

http://deleted South City Jim

I wouldn’t wish the game Huff had on my worst enemy. That was rough!

walt kovacs

so many intelligent post game comments…dont know where to start

trade huff….who in the world would take him…even for free?

posey is a bad catcher….absurd

sloppy game….ya…from the guy you wanna trade…and hey, i dont care if riot is dying…if he is in nyc, get his butt on the field…maybe one of the runners slips on his puke

the frickin savior still can hit…so i still dont have to like him

Stan

I’m tired of kicking Huff around. He’s set to retire to Beerville.

johnny

DFA Huff!

SurfCity

This is a lame comment:

“All you Huff haters out there, you were probably right all along- he was cooked a long time ago.”

Whatever happened to humbly admitting it when you’re wrong?

Rich

It’s one thing if Huff misplayed the DP ball. He sucks and he’s never played 2nd, so that would be expected. But to have your head in the clouds and not cover the bag? INEXCUSABLE.

ClutchUp

College vs. Pros: If a non second baseman is college had entered the game … just before Affledt’s pitch … the college SS would have verbally and silently made a motion to the college non-secondbaseman to remind him what to do. A pre-pitch thought if you will….

But not in MLB – Whereby Aubrey Huff actually started running to first base (watch the replay) and then went ooopppps.

Does Affeldt get the loss Hensley get the loss or is there a loss for a fielder availbable (wink)

http://jstevensonstories.blogspot.com The Mighty Roman

Bradley Emden, my thinking is the same: since he was already out, he no longer had any right to proceed to home. I feel like if it happened mid-game, there would have been a chance to force the umps to confer on the ruling. Jeez.

Bochy isn’t doing him, Belt or Pill any favors with his lineup shuffling!

None of them can get in a rhythm…

SurfCity

Bochy has totally disrespected Huff by playing him so often, when he clearly needs a new role. Forget the play at 2nd – even without that, it’s been over for Huff for a year.

So will Bochy finally take him out now?

I predicte no. Bochy will play Tammy Wynette – Stand by your Man – and double down on playing Huff.

Bochy will take the public blame for Huff’s play at 2nd, and then in his mind convince himself that that’s the only thing Huff did wrong today, so he’s excused.

I wish you were right Oracle, but even this game won’t convince Bochy, in my humble opinion

ClutchUp

…scotch says: April 21st, 2012 at 1:30 pm Stan you’re abusing your first amendment rights with your Posey comments! “Panicky”“Wasted microsececonds moving off home plate…” Posey’s form was textbook on that play! Just a heads up play by Hariston prevailed.

…Scotch: ++++++++++++ Superb by you. You have been there and done that.
Very refreshing. What just happened … just happened. It’s called baseball at the Major League Level. Harriston did zero wrong.

stickman

It is my hope and my bold surmise that Brian Sabean, his staff and the Giants ownership circle were playing acute, close attention to this game. Three most recent games now and Brandon Belt has produced notably, both offensively twice and once defensively, in late innings to boot.

If there is any common sense in this organization they will come to the realization that the continued presence of Aubrey Huff as a regular is little more than a drogue anchor dragging the team down with him. It should also be understood that Belt is not only the first baseman ~ and probably the 5-spot Enforcer ~ for this team in the future…but is evidentially good to go right now. A bases-clearing double to tie the score with two outs in the 9th inning is solid confirmation that this guy should take over tomorrow and that Huff should keep the pine productive.

Bruce Bochy should be aware that the loss of this game is largely his fault. Because Vogelsong needed an extended spring and because he was at 95 pitches in that critical 7th inning situation, it was a near no-brainer that a pinch hitter was in order. I called that shot just before the situation unfolded. Wasn’t rocket science to make the call. Otero was fresh and ready to pitch the bottom of the 7th. Giants did not score to retake the lead. Mets did when they faced a starter running on fumes.

So this loss is clearly on Bochy.

Frank Rizzo

Time for Arias? .866 OPS at Fresno, but also 6 errors.

SurfCity

JD4SF and others have been advancing the point that it’s necessary to keep the veteran Huff in the lineup and at 5th or 4th because to do otherwise would hurt his ego and ruin any chance at him making effort.

I have to flat out ask – how’s his ego doing continually non- performing? How did today’s game do for his ego?

ThirdBaseSide

Am not a Huff fan by any stretch of the imagination, but (as has been said here before) let’s place most of the blame where it belongs. Who put him in the lineup? Who told him to play second? Yeah, it looks like he’s should be put out to pasture, but c’mon – he’s not penciling his name in. Just another bad decision among many.

Rusty

It’s gotten to the point where I hear “Yakety Sax” whenever the Giants take the field. The errors are getting completely out of hand.

MitchellWasABadAss

#207
there is “NO DEFENSE” for Huff, in every manner of the phrase

stickman

Oracle @ 191: Excellent post. You nailed it.

http://deleted South City Jim

The slide at home was legal as long as the base runner can make contact with the base but I’ve never liked the rule, whether at home or at second…too many injuries.

Scott

I have been one of the most vocal on this board in criticizing Bochy’s handling of the Huff situation. And, I think Bochy handled it poorly again today.

Having said that, I feel badly for Huff today. He has been a good Giant and he has been a good teammate. It was a very rough day at the plate and in the field.

Tough loss after the Mets’ gift of two runs in the 10th.

walt kovacs

what hairston did would be illegal in the nfl….but not in the mlb???

Slash78

My guess is Belt will be sent down tomorrow so they can bring up another middle IF.

Huff ain’t going anywhere.

Belt will never be able to hit his way into the lineup. If Belt eventually hits and somehow gets regular playing time people will say Bochy was a genius for benching him “until he was ready” or some other such non-sense. If he’ traded and hits then people will excuse Bochy and say Belt either wasn’t ready, the change of scenary or it just wasn’t meant to be. If Bochy keeps Belt on the bench long enough for him to be considered a “failure” then Bochy will be “proven right” for never giving him playing time.

In Bochy’s mind Huff, how is clearly done is still a starter and Belt is strictly a bench player.

al oha

Bruce Bochy just issued this statement regarding playing Huff at 2B.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. I must say that where Huff was playing, I thought there would be no way he could get to second if the ball was hit to Crawford.”

Crawford? Somebody needs to test Bochy for his mental state. And if it is true he thought Huff was playing to far from 2nd base, then whistle and MOVE HIM OVER.

I knew this would come out sooner or later. Aubrey Huff cannot adequately field his position at FIRST BASE. Forget Left Field. But, Second Base? What does Bochy see that nobody else sees?

pacman68

THOUGHT ABOUT TODAYS GAME.

–Huff had one of the worst games I have ever seen. No sugar coating it. With that said…If the Giants really think that Huff is going to come around (i don’t) then Bochy should start him tomorrow so he can put this game behind him. As much as I hate to say that.

–Bochy has an awful game managing. Everyone knows I hate Bochy but he pretty much stunk today.

– Melky needs to bat 5th.

–Volgie has been great. I’m very surprised and thrilled.

–Lopez has been shaky.

–Pagan had a great game.

– I don’t care if The Riot was bleeding from his eyes. Get your ass out there and play defense for one inning. I played 2 innings in little league with a BROKEN ARM cause the coach told me he needed me. Get your ass to second base or go home and put your dress on.

–Belt’s duck was hilarious.

CalBear

I Have no idea what has been written hear since the end of the game, as my blog feed is stuck on #160…anyone know why this happens?? Have gone off and back on the G-Extra site, same thing. Do i have to log off completely to get an update here?

——————–

on both catchers playing last night, with success, and Pill at 2B, which he wasn’t today, ( not to mention CU’s mention of Pill practicing at Second in last Bolg), I will bore you with my ancient LU:

I watched Belt a lot in Scottsdale during the open practices and he never looked “good” at the plate, never was hammering the ball like Aubrey, Nate, Pablo, Melky, and Posey were…

But yet he hit close to .390 in ST…

And besides yesterday has gotten at least a hit in his last few games. I just think he finds a way to get the ball to land somewhere… it’s not impressive, but it just finds a spot on the field where the defense isn’t.

He can look awful at times, but tell me Huff has looked brilliant. Let the record show that Huff is hitting WORSE than Belt while looking “pretty”… the baby giraffe is awkwardly getting hits at times..

I do not like the 3 errors today, and don’t like that this is one of the worst defenses in baseball. They didn’t spend much time practicing defense in ST when I was watching (practices)… and so far, it shows.

Foothills Ryan

Brandon Belt hasn’t done enough to dislodge Huff.

But he’s done just enough and Huff performed poorly enough to justify the move now. And it was not a bases clearing double save for the books.

I was on board with anyone who sided with Bochy for playing Huff to “get him going”. But it just isn’t justified. Much like keeping Vogelsong in to hit and pitch the 7th was not justified. Especially with Otero available for multiple innings if needed.

That was definitely a head scratcher and Bochy should not be immune from heat on that call. C’mon Boch! Get your head in the game!

Mo P

CalBear: Yikes with that lineup!

Blanco hasn’t done anything in the reg season and Pagan is starting to hit.

I say release Huff now. Send a message that there is no room for .200 hitters who make bonehead plays. Sheesh any rec ball player knows to cover second on a dp groundball to short.

http://mercurynews.com antispy3

Well, I somewhat called it before the first pitch, after seeing Huff in the starting lineup (once again) He cost the Giants three runs & the game with his fielding ineptitude.

Is his Dr. Strangeglove approach enough to sequester him on the bench? My guess is Bochy the Butcher gives Huff a chance to redeem himself. What a great statement this gives Belt. And, of course a double standard. The hot player applies to in the field as well. . .wow. . .When does Steve Decker finally get his turn behind the helm?

Foothills Ryan

Embrace the positive though people…

Vogelsong sounds and looks the Vogelsong of 2011. Zito is competent. Bumgarner and Cain are studs. And Lincecum will reaffirm his status as “one of the best” tomorrow. God I hope that last one comes to fruition.

Posey is a 300+ hitter. Sandoval is a .300+ hitter. Both have 20-30 HR power (Pablo more so). Cabrera and Pagan are both capable of setting the table and knocking in runs…… There’s components of an offense. There’s potential from Schierholtz and Belt. The bullpen has a lot going for it even without Wilson.

Lots of good things and still at .500 despite not running on all cylinders…

http://mercurynews.com antispy3

Maybe Bochy is wearing that thong Huff wore during the 2010 season. . .something has to explain the connection. . .talk about mancrush. . .

dan

Buster is not a 30HR hitter. in a normal year, he will hit 15-18HR. like many in 2010, Buster had a career year in 2010.

Slash78

Belt doesn’t look all that pretty at the plate. Neither does Hunter Pence. Mark Teixeira? He looks like a Bullfrog swinging an ax. Curtis Granderson looks like a hunchback playing golf.

Randy Winn never looks pretty at the plate. He’d be hitting over .400 over the last two months of the season and you could have added a sweaky metal gate sound effect with every swing.

dan

Belt must cut down on his swing. An upper cut swing from a lefty will not work at ATT and anywhere else especially if you can’t hit HR. Belt needs to level his swing, aim for singles and doubles instead.

Slash78

@dan, Bochy insisted on that upper cut swing. It was a condition in the second half of last season, along with being “more aggressive”. Bochy wanted more “HR power” from Belt, even if that took away from the rest of his game. IE line-drives and drawing walks.

Slash78

As for Belt not being able to hit HRs, 23 at three different levels in 2010, 492 AB. In 2011 between the Majors and Minors 17 HR in 343 AB. Pretty good for a guy who “can’t hit HRs”.

http://giantspipeline.com Dinero

I expected the anti-Huff sentiment to be a bit stronger I must admit. You guys seem pretty measured about the whole thing. Very nice.

That was one of the worst games I’ve ever seen a player have. I was there with giving him April and some of May to see if he could “get it going” as well, but it’s pretty safe to say he’s done. Belt may not be able to hit much better (right now) but he makes all of those plays on D.

SurfCity

LOL – I have to laugh at the people slowing circling closer to the position that has been evident for some time – while still calling the people that have been right for sometime “Huff Haters”

The contortions are amusing to watch — “but but but b… Belt wasn’t good enough – Bochy HAD TO PLAY HUFF”

OK fine – whatever makes you feel better about being wrong.

Bochy’s face-saving statements will likely sound the same, if he ever,ever ever gets around to pulling the Huff plug

CalBear

@ Mo P #226:
Mo P says:
April 21st, 2012 at 1:57 pm

CalBear: Yikes with that lineup!

I just brought that old LU up for the sake of both C’s in the same game…and yes, Pagan has def. come into his groove. Besides, that LU was part of my fantasy of having 2 4-man hitting cycles…and, if u note the date, was way back when we were all dreaming about freaky things to do that Bochy was not doing.

Here is a more up to date idea:

Why not switch Panda and Buster in the order? Who has the most RBI’s, and can hit from either side?

And, Back to what CU mentioned yesterday, since Pill already practiced at 2B, and had experience in it in minor league, and, is a better hitter than Huff, why didn’t Bochy let him hit, instead of wasting him on the on-deck circle, or penciled in, then out? Was it worth the righty-lefty percentage to take Pill out, then place Huff at 2B? Sorry…I still don’t get it….I think MOST MLB mgrs put too much emphasis on decisions made per lefty/righty, but this one has to be one of the worst.

http://giantspipeline.com Dinero

well, Belt may not have been much better at 2B.

dan

Slash78-

Belt will never succeed if he keeps doing that. Only one guy named BB can do that at ATT. I doubt that Bochy would care of Belt sprays singles and dobules all over the yards. Another popup today. a bloop yesterday.

Btw, Crawford will be lucky to hit .170-180 this year. Sabean better looks around for a SS soon.

al oha

Walter Alston would take this Giants Team, with multiple switch-hitters, plenty of speed, defensive capability, and superior pitching, and mold them into being near un-beatable.

His Dodger teams of the 60′s were built in a similar way, but didn’t have nearly the number of good hitters the Giants have now.

Bochy is managing to “snatch losses from the jaws of victory”.

SurfCity

Giants were 2-0 with Huff not starting.

CalBear

I found out how to get around this site, or your server, whatever, being stuck on the last blog: Go into archives, and go back a few, then advance a few,,and clk like you are going to make a comment on an old archive….then, come back to present blog. I have no idea why this worked for me, nor why the blog gets stuck…but, just wanted to pass along what worked to bring me back to present blogs….Please ignore all of the above if u don’t have this problem.

SurfCity

Cal Bear – have you tried refreshing the blog?

I need to Huff

I need Huff to start tomorrow, he should be moved up to the three spot… a legendary slugger like Huff needs more at bats.

al oha

Cal Bear –

That formula is how Bochy makes out his lineup everyday.

He should do what SurfCity suggests ………. just REFRESH.

http://mercurynews.com antispy3

Perhaps this is the game Bochy has to admit Huff is done & give his AB’s (and time in the field0 to Belt. . .otherwise he has lost his credability. Can’t blame Giants (mis)management on this one. . .

al oha

Theriot needs to share a beer with Aubrey after this game.

And by that, I mean drinking out of the same bottle.

Whatever illness Theriot has, Aubrey needs.

Last season, the only regular player to not spend time on the DL, was Aubrey Huff. If he had, the way he stunk it up, the Giants may have made the playoffs.

…scotch

From 2010 to 2012…

From hero-to-scapegoat…

From thong-to-boxers!

ClutchUp

The more dubious Huff moment today was when he was at first base and the DP ball went under his glove IMO…

ClutchUp

My Extra Giants never works up to par. I hit the F5 key non stop.

HuffHuffPass

#BenchHuff

ClutchUp

Listen to people calling in on KNBR. They have all the answers – after the fact….

Like mentioning that a pilot who crashed his rig should have pulled up sooner…..

Callers making BB and Softball comparisons.

It’s one friggin game. Belt’s Ball should have been caught…

ClutchUp

Salty in Clovis OMG.

CalBear

lol…thank you SurfCity,,and al oha too….D’oh!! just “Refresh” works….now, I knew that ….this was just a test to see if YOU knew that! ( yeah, right….thanks guys)

So, will we ever see Pill at 2B? or, no? Looks like the OF is pretty much set w/ Cabrera LF, Pagan CF and Nate RF….Burris is doing a pretty decent job at 2nd, so don’t see Pill starting. But, any possibility Boch could platoon Pill for Belt, rty vs lfty, late innings, provided of course some day Belt is the 1B starter?

Still, that negates using both catchers…..hmmmm….

Slash78

Huff isn’t the scapegoat. 579 PA last season of .676 OPS with bad defense. So far he’s off to a similiar start.

Through the first 14 games the Giants mighty, refurbished offense has scored a total of 1 addition run over the first 14 games of last season. The pitching has giving up 8 more runs.

Sabean got Pagan, Cabrera and Blanco as well to “add speed”. Bochy is completely unwilling to use it.

ClutchUp

Foothills Ryan says: April 21st, 2012 at 2:00 pm Embrace the positive though people…Vogelsong sounds and looks the Vogelsong of 2011. Zito is competent. Bumgarner and Cain are studs. And Lincecum will reaffirm his status as “one of the best” tomorrow. God I hope that last one comes to fruition. Posey is a 300+ hitter. Sandoval is a .300+ hitter. Both have 20-30 HR power (Pablo more so). Cabrera and Pagan are both capable of setting the table and knocking in runs…… There’s components of an offense. There’s potential from Schierholtz and Belt. The bullpen has a lot going for it even without Wilson. Lots of good things and still at .500 despite not running on all cylinders…

Will Bochy stop pretending Huff is “the hot hand”? Neither are doing that good, but Belt can at least run and make plays at 1B.

ClutchUp

Frank Rizzo says: April 21st, 2012 at 1:37 pm Time for Arias? .866 OPS at Fresno, but also 6 errors.

=Frank: I like Arias but hitting in the PCL is like hitting during Spring training. It’s all relative. Even Justin Christian is tearing it up at Fresno and when he came up last Sept, he could not make all the adjustments.

ClutchUp

Too bad most if not all the Team is married ‘cept Angel and Freaky.

After a game like that the club needs a Goose Gossage type along with Billy, Yogi and Whitey to lead them “down town” and Flush Out all those Toxins similar to our Secret Service Fellas.

ClutchUp

Anti-Lasorda will have fun with THIS games analysis IMO.

CommonSenseGuy

Gotta tie the game in the top of the ninth before worrying about defense in the bottom of the ninth.

Seems like common sense, but amazing that some people don’t get the simplest of concepts.

CalBear

Looking back on just this early part of 160+ game season, I really like the G’s chances to win the West, and very likely go into another WS. Why, after a game like today?

First of all, today’s game was over but for an error never charged to NYM’s CF, who overran Belt’s blooper. So, the Huff debacle at 2B was/is moot.

More importantly, look at the MAJOR problems Boch does not have to deal with right now….i.e., who is playing where in the OF, and, two players we didn’t think were going to contribute much, if at all, who are now heading up steam and momentum for the entire team: Zeets and Volgy.

Should Timmy come back tomorrow in his normal form, today’s snafu will be forgotten in a New York Minute. Find me a better rotation in MLB than the Freak back in his groove, Cain, Bum, Zeets, and Volgy….or, for get that, and find a better Bullpen anywhere. The hitting is here, and will be getting better.

think I’ll call my bookie and put down a Bill on Giants winning the WS…anyone have the latest Sport Book odds?

al oha

Slim and None, if Bochy continues his belief that Huff is just on the verge of getting it going and is the one player on this roster that can play multiple positions and his bat is indispensible.

He can’t even play ONE position adequately.
Poll the pitchers as to who they think is the best defensive players at each position.

ClutchUp

Perfect game for WS Hurler

Plate Umpire should be ASHAMED on the final strike.

CommonSenseGuy

Hate on Huff all you want but as crappy as he’s playing, isn’t it a little worrisome that Belt STILL can’t TAKE the job from him? Yes, Belt has much more upside, but that’s about all he has going for him at this point. Not like he’s raking and Huff is stinking. They both stink.

If the Giants were going to settle on one guy to play first, my vote would go to Pill, platoon be damned.

al oha

Watch the games. The whole game, defense and baserunning, too.

It’s pretty convincing, unless you don’t know what you are looking at.

The Oracle

Not too aptly named CommonSenseGuy: it’s kind of tough for Belt to take the job if he rarely plays. He can only do what he is allowed to do.

CommonSenseGuy

So Belt is only allowed to swing and miss three times at sliders, and he’s only allowed to pop up to center field? I didn’t realize Bochy was so restrictive on him.

It’s not a matter of how many chances he gets. It’s a matter of what he does with the chances he’s given. So far, he’s done jack with those chances.

The only difference between him and Huff right now is that Belt gets a continual free pass from the double-standard-bearers on this blog. Every time he fails, it’s Bochy’s fault for not “giving him a chance.” Bull.

ClutchUp

Perfect Game by Phillip Umber – final called third strike was so far outside that AJ had to go track it down and throw to first base LOL.

Fyi: Tejada, not Hairston slid into Posey.

ClutchUp

Wrong again Baggary says: Twas Harriston.

ClutchUp

Not understanding the Kudos shared by our guy Baggs congratulating AJ for catching a Perfect Game.?

Ask Stan Conte about AJ

moto

(264) your ‘common sense’ is not, if you’re justifying the removal of the last second baseman Pill in a road game with the best possible result a tie or narrow lead, and getting every out on defense critical.

rather more sense to let Pill bat against the righty — self respecting righty hitters are accustomed to facing rightys and expect it, for the simple reason of frequency and repetition going back to first learning how to hit as a kid.

they were already committed once Crawford was lifted to playing Burris at short, and Pill made the roster as a steady hitter. this was egregious over-managing and duly punished by los dioses de beisbol.

Angry Dan

The third strike for the final out on the perfect game by Humber was called on the check swing, which was borderline and could have been called either way. Brian Runge called it a swing right away from behind the plate.

SurfCity

Cal Bear – have to disagree with the World Series – not if Bochey keeps up this stubborn nonsense of pretending Huff is great.

Angry Dan says: April 21st, 2012 at 3:42 pm The third strike for the final out on the perfect game by Humber was called on the check swing, which was borderline and could have been called either way. Brian Runge called it a swing right away from behind the plate.

=Angry, Thanks was relying on video with NO sound. Thanks for the update clarification….

So without the swing = it’s ball four?

SurfCity

Wow still funny watching commenters lash out here. It’s the stage when denial deminishes and turns to anger.

Agree – the sense is not only not “common” but not even there

Angry Dan

Yes, would have been Ball 4 if it weren’t called a swing. The ball was in the dirt and got past Pierzynski halfway towards the 1st base dugout, but Ryan was too busy arguing the swing to run it out and possibly beat the throw.

ClutchUp

Too bad Aubrey did not get into last nights game as a secondbaseman and get his feet wet, that would have made the difference… (wink)

ClutchUp

162 * 50 * 50 * 62 *

Closer to Christmas that May. Long way to go.

SFPhil

Belt has had around 25 plate appearances. Pill, 15. Huff, around 40. That’s not enough to evaluate these guys, at least not Belt or Pill who are still basically new to MLB. And a lot of those appearances are off the bench, not as starters who get to face a pitcher multiple times in a game.

I think what a lot of people are clamoring for is for Belt to get the 50+ PAs as a starter that he needs to be evaluated fairly. Same with Pill. It took Pagan that long to show that he can be a contributor as a Giant. Saying Belt can’t cut it after 20 ABs is ridiculous.

Congratulations if you were right about Huff all along. Your instincts for the game are superior and you are head and shoulders above other Giants fans in fandom.

ClutchUp

Specific to Posey interview…

ClutchUp

Foothills Ryan says: April 21st, 2012 at 3:57 pm Congratulations if you were right about Huff all along. Your instincts for the game are superior and you are head and shoulders above other Giants fans in fandom.

The guys at Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America and Keith Law at ESPN have been saying all along for Belt to play, it’s the only way he’s going to get better. Huff is only playing because they owe him 11M if he had been a UFA, Belt and Pill would be playing 1B and Huff would be enjoying his retirement or playing with the Pirates or Padres.

Stan

Clutch,for the millions they are paid..in a game thats 3 hours of occasional movement,players should answer all questions including why don’t you love your mama and daddy.
I still remember the pure anger Randy Johnson had talking about his retired cop father…who berated Johnson when Randy called to tell him he pitched his first no -hitter. His dad answered “Why did you walk those batters dummy?!”…

http://www.fangraphs.com/ channelclemente

Someties it helps to ask yourself what would your reaction of the play at the plate be, if it was a Giant on 3B.

“Right about” Huff? It just is what it is. A veteran player whose skills are declining. It’s the natural order of things. It’s not his fault.

Management is at fault for letting this drag on so long. I don’t know if it was the money or nostalgia or just that Bochy has a strong affinity for Huff, but this should have been faced and dealt with by the middle of last season. Huff could have been gradually and gracefully moved to the bench and Belt and/or Pill could have been getting the experience they needed to contribute this season. And who knows, they might have even made the playoffs. Thanks to stubborn inaction, the whole time line has been pushed back, and only time will tell if it will cost us this season, too.

I’ve never been a “Huff hater,” and I’m still not. But I’ll admit to being intensely frustrated as spring training went on and the season began and we were right back to the same 2011 place with no apparent lessons learned. I hope we’re heading there now, but who knows? I thought that before.

Again, I blame management way more than Huff himself. It’s a sad place for a proud veteran who was not so long ago a city’s hero to be.

ClutchUp

wan8iv says: April 21st, 2012 at 4:08 pm Huff is only playing because they owe him 11M if he had been a UFA, Belt and Pill would be playing 1B and Huff would be enjoying his retirement or playing with the Pirates or Padres.

Hmmm…we do have a good relationship with the Pirates. Clint Hurdle might covet #17…

dgg

After reading Alex’s print article and Lefty’s description of the 9th inning, I decided to watch the game on archive. Alex’s PreGame Notes title: “Huff the second baseman?” turned out to be prescient.

The way I see it, four big mistakes were made in this game. Two by Bochy: pulling Pill, putting Huff at second base. Two by Huff: error at first base, not covering second base.

I like Bochy a lot. I thought he was masterful at mixing and matching last night’s game. But in today’s game, I agree with Moto. Over-managing by Bochy was the primary problem. Pill should not have been pulled. Huff should never have been placed at second base. This was what, the first time he’s played second base since Little League?

ClutchUp

Lefty says: April 21st, 2012 at 4:19 pm “Right about” Huff? It just is what it is. A veteran player whose skills are declining. It’s the natural order of things. It’s not his fault. Again, I blame management way more than Huff himself. It’s a sad place for a proud veteran who was not so long ago a city’s hero to be.

@Lefty: Tremendous HOF post by you. I agree. Managements way back machine has malfunctioned.

Btw: Picnic day at UCD today?

http://www.fangraphs.com/ channelclemente

I wonder if they play tomorrow, if there will be any revenge for taking Posey out on that slide. It might not be a good idea for Hairston to play 3B, just as a guess.

http://www.fangraphs.com/ channelclemente

CU,

suppose there is any extra tobasco at Picnic Day this year?

JD4SF

I just finished watching recorded.
Some thoughts …

* Other than the extraordinary pitching duel on Wednesday (1-0), the Giants have scored 4 or more runs per game.

* We were not at our best today, but it was still a WEIRD 9th!

* It helps to have all 25 on the 25 man roster available. Theriot’s illness hurt us.

* Vogey did a good job.

* LOVED the pickoff at 1B and bullet to 3B by Posey in the 8th! Bummer that his position to make the throw to 1B in the 9th was still close enough to get clipped by the “break up the play” slide.

* I thought the game was over with Belt’s pop fly – *very* lucky the CF misjudged and the ball dropped! Belt’s bat hasn’t been impressive during the season, but it sure recently got lucky!

* I think there were better options to Huff playing 2B – he was way out of his element there and already had an E so is D wasn’t looking good – so I don’t understand Bochy’s decision on this one. (Posey at 2B and Hector at C would’ve made more sense to me since Pill was out of the line-up.) Note, though, that Burriss at SS had other throw options and should have noticed that Huff was playing too far off 2B for a DP.

* My hubby observed that Huff will be made the goat for this game. I agree Huff made a poor showing even without considering the debacle at 2B and I see his leash getting shorter.

* I also remember 9 innings of missed AB opportunities and different pitching or plays that might have made a difference. (What if Hector hadn’t struck out? What if Burriss at SS had gone after the lead runner at 3B? What if Vogey hadn’t walked those two?) We can’t predict the results of the What If’s, but IMO a Loss doesn’t fall on a single person’s head when there is a TEAM playing. And credit also needs to go the other team. They gave us breathing room by allowing Belt’s blooper to fall when it should have ended the game, but otherwise it was a combination of them beating us and us beating ourselves.

* Tomorrow is a new game, we (our TEAM!) need to put this game behind us and go after more Wins one game at a time … and we have a lot more games to go.

Go Giants!!!

ClutchUp

Stan says: April 21st, 2012 at 4:10 pm Clutch,for the millions they are paid..in a game thats 3 hours of occasional movement,players should answer all questions including why don’t you love your mama and daddy.
I still remember the pure anger Randy Johnson had talking about his retired cop father…who berated Johnson when Randy called to tell him he pitched his first no -hitter. His dad answered “Why did you walk those batters dummy?!”…

@ Stan:
I agree with you to a point but specific to the questions being asked of Posey (am sure you listened) – I think certain questions are dumb.

“How’d you feel when you gave up that HR”
“Why did you throw that Interception” (receiver fell down)
“Did you think you could score from third on that ground ball”

But I do understand some of what you said

ClutchUp

New Pav’s Post Game Thread ……

Slash78

@CC, it’s the other Hairston that plays 3B…for the Dodgers.

Stan

Could be worse clutch,”what do you put in your oatmeal?”..THAT was a Rise Guys question a few months ago.

JD4SF

new thread

Slash78

@Stan, Bochy’s answer to,”what do you put in your oatmeal?”

Bochy: The salty tears of Giants’ fans everywhere.

al oha

Timmy HAS had trouble locating his fastball.

One by Hairston’s ear would send the message.

http://www.fangraphs.com/ channelclemente

Stan,

I thoughtI saw Hairston at 3B, oh well age and grief are rotting my brain.

Humer for the White Soxs had a perfect game today, and after leading 9-0, Valentine and the Red Soxs are now losing 14-9. Add Belt’s luck, and the Mayans are definitly on the way.

Nameless Bob

As others have said, the outlook is good. They have better faster hitters. The pitching is world class. Even if Bochy doesn’t use the speed to bunt and steal it still comes into play when you can go from first to third or second to home on a hit single. It also cuts down on the double plays. I have come to this conclusion earlier and posted as much as well. But then as now the only remaining piece was to get rid of Huff. He has no place on this team.

Remember Amando Benitez? He was a terrible closer for the Giants a while ago. All the fans knew he was terrible but management kept throwing him out there until he finally had a meltdown game against – that’s right – the Mets. I don’t remember all the details but among the highlights were a number of walks and the coup de grace was the winning run sent to home on a balk. A balk. He was gone the next day.

So maybe it’s New York where washed up Giants players’ dysfunction is finally revealed to management. It could be a good thing as Oracle has explained above on #196.

I am optimistic.

http://tinyurl.com/cd7pr64 Billy Delone

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